Count the Boxes
About the game and how to play
Count the Boxes is a quick focus game inspired by classic brain-training exercises. Every round is different: boxes on a dotted floor blink on and off, the whole scene slides past, boxes pop up or vanish one by one, columns shuffle around, or all of it happens at once. When everything stops the scene disappears and the question comes: how many boxes were there? The catch is that some boxes hide behind taller columns. There is also a still-pile mode, where a pile of boxes flashes up for a moment. Play solo to beat your best score, or open a room and race your friends.
- Players
- 1–20 players
- Category
- Logic puzzles
- Price
- Free, no download, no sign-up
- Where to play
- In the browser on phone, tablet and computer
Can be played with friends in an online room
How to play
- Pick solo play and a difficulty, or create a room and invite friends with its code.
- Boxes move around the floor — keep track of which ones arrive and which ones leave; boxes that only pass straight across don't count.
- When everything stops and the scene disappears, type how many boxes were left on the number pad; a right count scores 100, and a quick one up to 50 more.
- After ten piles your score is totted up; in an online room the most points after the last round wins.
Tips
- Count columns, not single boxes: every column's top box is in view, and its height tells you how many boxes stand in that column.
- Remember what is under the tall columns at the back: boxes hidden behind the front row still count, because the box on top can't be floating.
- Start counting while the pile is still up and hold the total in your head; every second you wait costs 5 points of the speed bonus.
- In moving mode, remember the starting count and add or subtract one for every box that arrives or leaves; a box that only changes place doesn't change the count.
Frequently asked questions
Do the boxes I can't see count too?
Yes. The pile is stacked like a staircase in the corner of a room and no box ever floats, so every box you see on top means the column beneath it is full down to the floor. Those boxes behind and underneath are part of the answer.
How are points scored?
A right count earns 100 points, plus a speed bonus: 50 if you answer within the first second after the pile appears, 5 less for every second after that. A wrong answer or running out of time scores 0, so a full game tops out at 1,500 points.
What changes between the difficulty levels?
In moving mode every round is a different kind: blinking boxes, a scene sliding past, boxes popping up or vanishing one by one, columns shuffling about, or all of it together. Easy uses a 4×4 floor and ends with 3–8 boxes; Medium a 5×5 floor with 5–11; on Hard everything is faster, the boxes blink twice and briefly, several things happen at once and 7–14 boxes are left. In still-pile mode the level sets how big the pile is and how long it stays up (3, 2.5 or 2 seconds).
How do I play with friends?
Choose Create room, pick a difficulty and the number of rounds (5, 10 or 15), and send the code to your friends. Everyone sees the same pile at the same moment and answers on their own phone; after each round the real count and everyone's answer are shown.
Do boxes that pass straight across the floor count?
No. Some boxes come in from one side, cross the whole floor and leave on the other — they are there to throw you off. The answer is only the boxes left standing on the floor when everything stops.